God Is Love

Usually when I sit down to write an issue of Barnabas’ Notes, I work from a particular verse or passage that teaches a lesson of encouragement. This past week, however, as I thought about what I wanted to write this week, I tried to back up and look at more general encouraging thoughts from Scripture. The first thing that jumped out at me was the love of God. What could be more encouraging to anyone than realization of the love of God? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). That says it all, doesn’t it? John puts it another way that is just as good: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10, 11).

Maybe that’s too general for some. We’re used to people trying to encourage us by saying that God loves us and if we will remain faithful, He will take care of us in the end, but what about right now? What’s He going to do for me right now? Well, I hate to appear insensitive, but He’s already done it. He loved you (already) enough to let His Son die for you. He’s done His part, now you have to do yours. I know, that still doesn’t answer the question about what’s afflicting you right now in your life...or does it?

The duty of all Christians is to grow toward spiritual maturity (2 Peter 3:18). For us to mature as we ought, we need to mature in our faith and in our hope, among other things. Faith and hope are what will get you through the tough times. You’re not going to have times as tough as Jesus did or the first century Christians who were slaughtered simply because they were Christians. Yet, because of their faith and hope, they were able to endure. 

Many people work very hard these days to provide for their families. And they’re able to provide not just a living (a place to sleep, clothes to wear and food to eat), but many luxuries, too. However, without God, no one has achieved any real success at all. What good does it do to work yourself to death and make wash tubs full of money if you and your family are lost in the end? Jesus asked that same question this way: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). If you want to be successful, truly successful, in this world, you must achieve spiritual success. You must be a faithful child of God. Anything less is failure, even if you live in the biggest palace on earth.

I know the pain you feel is real and God isn’t ignoring your pain and neither am I. I wanted to encourage you this morning with more general thoughts simply to show that even the most complicated problems and their solutions are more simple than you think. True, spiritual, eternal success really does boil down to simply living for God and not living for yourself. And the solutions to the things that afflict you right now, are really just as simple as giving yourself to God and overcoming them or letting those problems grow out of proportion and overcome you. Yes, God is love (1 John 4:8) and He wants you to love Him and live for Him. He wants that kind of success and peace of mind for you because He loves you. I want it because I love you, too.

Donnie Bates

Seek and You Shall Find

In Matthew 7:7, Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” What a comforting thought that if we genuinely seek after God’s will, we will find it. And it is especially comforting given what Jesus says just a few verses later.  In verses 13 and 14, Jesus says that the way that leads to life is narrow and the way that leads to destruction is wide. Most people, from what Jesus says (and He ought to know) are not going to spend eternity in heaven.   

There is simply no other way to understand what Jesus says here. The world is full of people (and religious people at that) who are doing their best to widen the way that leads to life. I’m willing to give them (some of them, at least) the benefit of the doubt and acknowledge that some of this is done out of concern for the lost and a desire to extend God’s grace to as many as possible. The problem is that no one has the right to extend God’s grace beyond the limit God has already set. Neither you nor I nor anyone else has the right to say God’s grace will cover a sin that God has said He will condemn, or to say that the way to eternal life is broad when God has said it is narrow.

Now, once again, I know that some people will object to what I have said so far or will think I am being harsh and judgmental. I would disagree.  I’m compelled out of the love I feel for all men and for my heavenly Father and His word, to point out that the way to eternal life is narrow. I want as many people as possible to give up on the notion of widening the narrow way or trying to come up with another way to the Father. There is only One Way to the Father (John 14:6). I want them to seek the narrow way, the Way that God accepts.

After reading that the way is so narrow, which can be very disconcerting and discouraging, I’m terribly encouraged to know that if I’ll seek this narrow way, I will find it. And I’m absolutely ecstatic to be able to tell you and everyone else the same thing. You don’t have to stumble around in some spiritual fog, hoping you stumble across God’s grace. You can know His will and you can know you are saved (1 John 5:13). You can make your calling and choosing sure (2 Peter 1:10). You can be in heaven for eternity.  There are things you can do to make sure it happens. God has provided that for you because He loves you that much.

If you’re someone who’s afraid or worried that you’re not good enough to be saved, let me just say that none of the rest of us is, either. If you’re worried that you won’t find the narrow way, the way that leads to life eternal, let me encourage you by sharing this truth with you: if you seek that way, genuinely seek it, you will find it. If you’re one that’s confident that you’ve found the narrow way, let me encourage you to examine yourself, test yourself to see if you are truly in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). If you’re convinced of your salvation based on human reasoning or doctrine and have not obeyed what so many people think are “narrow-minded” commands, let me encourage you to give up trying to widen the narrow way and give yourself to God and His will. Stop resisting Him and submit. That’s the way to eternal life; His way, not mine or yours. God has provided this narrow way to eternal life because He loves you and so do I.

Donnie Bates